Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 29, 2009

Three reasons: There is a relative valuation between the price a VC pays and their expectations of what it will exit for in an IPO or trade sale. Also, it’s harder to pay a $30 million pre-money value on an unproved company when you see public companies with $100 million in sales trading for less than $20 million.

Burn Rate 263

Burn Rate Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Private Equity 263

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

As in, “your money into my company will convert at a 15-20% discount to the next round of capital I raise with a maximum price of $8 million pre-money valuation (or whatever the cap was).” What happens in a sale or acqui-hire? You give money and if the company sells you get your investment back?

Ratchet 354

Ratchet Liquidation Preference Equity Stock 354

Gust

NOVEMBER 2, 2011

We recently started a series of posts on establishing the pre-money valuation of pre-revenue startup companies for purposes of investment by seed and startup investors. Dave’s valuation model first appeared in a book published by Harvard’s Howard Stevenson in the middle nineties. Add to Pre-money Valuation.

Valuation 79

Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Intellectual Property Southern California 79

Lightspeed Venture Partners

OCTOBER 29, 2012

The company sought to raise $125,000 for 25% of the comapny, implying a $375,000 pre money valuation. It had done about $30,000 in sales in a little over a year, and had emerged from a natural trade show with interest but no orders. Unsurprisingly, all the sharks passed, based on market size and valuation expectations.

Pre-Money Valuation 97

Pre-Money Valuation Offshore Valuation Cofounder 97

Lightspeed Venture Partners

OCTOBER 7, 2012

The company has done $400k in sales in less than two years and had an early test deal with a local supermarket chain that they were massively overperforming on. He had been at it for 6 months and had no sales or distribution lined up yet. The entrepreneur launched Zomm in late 2010 and did $700k in sales that year.

Technical Review 110

Technical Review Technical Cofounder Valuation Pre-Money Valuation 110

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 19, 2017

That’s because obtaining a pre-money valuation for a concept level technology company in excess of $1 million is difficult, particularly for a startup founder without a proven track record. The right-of-first-refusal clause, however, proved a significant impediment in his attempted sale of stock to the industry insiders.

Private Equity 94

Private Equity Pre-Money Valuation Equity Startup 94

VC Cafe

SEPTEMBER 26, 2022

Sustainable growth: Prioritise sales efficiency over growth at all costs. Startups must grow to be successful, but the recent months have shown that simply throwing money at growth is not the solution. ValuatIon should be a function of value, not ego. In times of uncertainty, be like Scrooge McDuck! Our goals, their goals.

Founder 187

Founder Startup Valuation Pre-Money Valuation 187

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 14, 2011

million pre-money valuation, which is a $10 million post-money) you get diluted by 25% (2.5m / 10m). Listen, understanding the world of valuations and how equity gets split on a sale is a whole lot more complicated than the graphic depicts. If you raise a new round venture capital (say $2.5 million at a $7.5

Dilution 394

Dilution Pre-Money Valuation Startup Valuation 394

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021

A-Rounds used to be $3–7 million with the best companies able to skip this smaller amount and raise $10 million on a $40 million pre-money valuation (20% dilution). These days $10 million is quaint for the best A-Rounds and many are raising $20 million at $60–80 million pre-money valuations (or greater).

Pre-Money Valuation 471

Pre-Money Valuation Valuation Venture Capital Early Stage 471

crowdSPRING Blog

APRIL 26, 2013

Don’t Use Social to Generate Sales; Make Selling Social | Advertising Age – [link]. Don’t Use Social to Generate Sales; Make Selling Social | Advertising Age – [link]. Q1 Venture Capital Spending & Number Of Deals Down, M&A Activity Drops 44 Percent And Pre-Money Valuations Plummet – [link].

Social Media 90

Social Media Small Business Design Media 90

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 26, 2012

How much is NewCo worth to investors at this point (pre-money valuation)? What percentage of NewCo does the investor own after the $1M infusion (post-money ownership percentage)? On the other hand, if the pre-money valuation is $4M, the founders ownership remains at a healthy 80% level.

Valuation 270

Valuation Pre-Money Valuation NPV Intellectual Property 270

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2011

How much is NewCo worth to investors at this point (pre-money valuation)? What percentage of NewCo does the investor own after the $1M infusion (post-money ownership percentage)? On the other hand, if the pre-money valuation is $4M, the founders ownership remains at a healthy 80% level.

Pre-Money Valuation 246

Pre-Money Valuation Valuation NPV Intellectual Property 246

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 8, 2012

” If you remember the three rules of sales : it’s. We plan to raise at a $5 million pre-money valuation. million pre-money. And no matter how rich people are – they still want a good deal. That’s probably how they became rich in the first place. So you need an anchor. why buy me?

Pre-Money Valuation 294

Pre-Money Valuation Finance Liquidation Preference Warrant 294

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 6, 2010

How much is NewCo worth to investors at this point (pre-money valuation)? What percentage of NewCo does the investor own after the $1M infusion (post-money ownership percentage)? On the other hand, if the pre-money valuation is $4M, the founders ownership remains at a healthy 80% level.

Valuation 234

Valuation Pre-Money Valuation NPV Startup 234

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 17, 2011

A year ago I blogged about one of my most common mantras that applies to sales, biz dev & fund raising alike: “ Time is the Enemy of all Deals.&#. When times are really good for fund raising many teams delay to maximize their valuation. You’re offered a $9 million pre-money to raise $3 million (e.g.

Pre-Money Valuation 303

Pre-Money Valuation Dilution Valuation PR 303

Tim Keane

JANUARY 12, 2010

It also assumes the entire value of the investment is captured for investors at a sale of the company in the time specified in the term-sheet.   On the last line on page two of the workbook, you see the resulting returns to the entrepreneur with a variety of terms and valuations and assumptions. Let’s start at the end.

Term Sheet 68

Term Sheet Valuation Dividend Liquidation Preference 68

Lightspeed Venture Partners

SEPTEMBER 21, 2013

Despite having over 500k downloads and making $450k in revenue over the last 21 months, he had only $185k left in the bank, which meant that he would be out of business in 90 days if he didn’t raise more money. pre money valuation and planned to use the money to market the app. pre money valuation).

Pre-Money Valuation 167

Pre-Money Valuation Valuation Dilution Distribution 167

SoCal CTO

FEBRUARY 2, 2011

Bill Payne is an expert on how early-stage investors should look at valuation. He just post: Establishing the Pre-money Valuation of Pre-revenue Startups. Especially interesting is the Valuation Worksheet towards the end. If you've not had a C-level but have had experience in sales or tech.

Valuation 198

Valuation Revenue Pre-Money Valuation Early Stage 198

Gust

NOVEMBER 18, 2012

How much is NewCo worth to investors at this point (pre-money valuation)? What percentage of NewCo does the investor own after the $1M infusion (post-money ownership percentage)? On the other hand, if the pre-money valuation is $4M, the founders ownership remains at a healthy 80% level.

Valuation 187

Valuation Pre-Money Valuation NPV Intellectual Property 187

Austin Startup

JUNE 21, 2018

It will revolutionize produce sales globally. Our pre-money valuation for the seed round is 2 trillion dollars.” We see a lot of crypto start-up ideas that go something like this: “We’d like to put bananas on the block chain and trade them with utility tokens. I’ve taken some editorial license here, but you get the idea.

Securities and Exchange Commission 61

Securities and Exchange Commission SEC Pre-Money Valuation Security 61

Lightspeed Venture Partners

NOVEMBER 19, 2012

They talked about a referral program, as well as direct sales. The company did $250,000 in sales last year and is profitable. Interestingly, this new deal actually lowered the pre money valuation for the company. 75,000 for 10% implies a $675,000 pre money valuation.

Pre-Money Valuation 166

Pre-Money Valuation Alabama Valuation Churn Rate 166

Lightspeed Venture Partners

OCTOBER 1, 2012

The company did $1M in sales last year, 90% from wholesale, and had a 10% profit margin. They wanted to get to $10M in sales and then get bought by a big food company. pre money valuation). Cuban has interest in a gluten free diet, and claimed that he liked the company, but his only concern was valuation.

Pre-Money Valuation 158

Pre-Money Valuation Valuation Participating Preferred Preferred Stock 158

www.paulgraham.com

OCTOBER 23, 2010

The woman in charge of sales was so tenacious that I used to feelsorry for potential customers on the phone with her. Stephen Hawkings editor told him that every equationhe included in his book would cut sales in half. A 10% improvement in ease of use doesnt just increase your sales 10%. Its more likely to double your sales.

Startup 105

Startup Cofounder Software Stock 105

www.paulgraham.com

APRIL 28, 2010

For example, VCs generally write it into the deal thatin any sale, they get their investment back first. Some VCsnow require that in any sale they get 4x their investment backbefore the common stock holders (that is, you) get anything, butthis is an abuse that should be resisted. So theyre going to raise $200,000.

Technical Review 76

Technical Review Startup Software Review Angel Investor 76

YoungUpstarts

SEPTEMBER 4, 2017

For startup founders and CEO’s it’s also just as common to see them place too much focus on the amount of money raised, and the pre-money valuation, rather than the value that each investor can bring to the table. Ask yourself, where is your startup currently struggling? What could be improved?

Pre-Money Valuation 187

Pre-Money Valuation Seed Stage IP Deal Flow 187

K9 Ventures

MARCH 23, 2011

Let’s say the company raises $1M ($900K in new money, plus the $100K for the note, just to keep the math simple) at a pre-money valuation of exactly $1M (assume at $1 per share) – same as the pre-money cap in the note. What percent of the company should the note holder get on conversion?

Pre-Money Valuation 132

Pre-Money Valuation Valuation Equity Liquidation Preference 132

Lightspeed Venture Partners

OCTOBER 22, 2012

This implies a pre money valuation of $1.045M. See my breakdown of week 2 for more on how to calculate pre money valuation.). The sharks greeted this with skepticism, and rightfully so, especially given the short time the company has been in business and the relatively low sales volume.

Pre-Money Valuation 101

Pre-Money Valuation Valuation Dilution Differentiation 101

Gust

NOVEMBER 4, 2011

In brief, a cap acts to place a limit on the conversion price of a convertible note such that investors are guaranteed a minimum number of shares for their bridge loans if the startup does a priced equity round at a high pre-money valuation – “high” meaning above the cap, which is often a heavily negotiated term. (The

Valuation 98

Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Merger Vesting 98

Growthink Blog

JANUARY 24, 2011

The liquidation preference means what is sounds - namely that preferred stock holders with this right get all of their money back (i.e. liquidate their shares) before any distribution of proceeds in the event of a sale of a company. This is an extremely valuable preference that can best be shown by example.

Preferred Stock 93

Preferred Stock Stock Common Stock Liquidation Preference 93

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 18, 2016

As an entrepreneur looking for professional investors, one of the quickest ways to lose credibility and get rejected is to start with a ridiculously high pre-money valuation. Thus, $100,000 of gross revenue in the last 12 months might be extrapolated to $500,000 to $1 million in valuation.

Intellectual Property 120

Intellectual Property Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Startup 120

Berkonomics

JANUARY 7, 2021

Second rounds, if needed, often drive the founder(s) into a minority position, unless the company has grown significantly by that time and can command a higher pre-money valuation, giving less stock for the same amount of investment. Reward for early risk.

Liquidity Event 96

Liquidity Event Pre-Money Valuation Cofounder Initial Public Offering 96

Gust

OCTOBER 21, 2011

For convertible notes, the only liquidity event we need be concerned with is an acquisition of the startup in the near future, before the maturity date; otherwise, the notes will convert to equity of one kind or another, and the eventual sale of that equity (in a public offering, acquisition, or private sale) is a different subject for another day.

Finance 79

Finance Pre-Money Valuation Term Sheet Liquidity Event 79

The Startup Lawyer

JANUARY 10, 2012

A liquidation preference is the amount that must be paid to a preferred stock holder before any sale proceeds may be paid to the holders of common stock (i.e., In most equity financing rounds, an investor will ask for (and get) a term called a liquidation preference. founders, option holders, etc.).

Liquidation Preference 73

Liquidation Preference Pre-Money Valuation Participating Preferred Preferred Stock 73

Berkonomics

JUNE 12, 2014

Second rounds, if needed, often drive the founder(s) into a minority position, unless the company has grown significantly by that time and can command a higher pre-money valuation, giving less stock for the same amount of investment. Starting up Raising money Surrounding yourself with talent'

Liquidity Event 85

Liquidity Event Pre-Money Valuation Cofounder Initial Public Offering 85

ithacaVC

DECEMBER 13, 2013

There are many reasons for this, but fundamentally, it is impossible to calculate a share price for the investment round unless you have complete agreement on how many shares are outstanding pre-money. The share price is calculated by taking the pre-money valuation and dividing it by the number of shares outstanding pre-money.

Cap Table 67

Cap Table Pre-Money Valuation Option Pool Liquidation Preference 67

Berkonomics

SEPTEMBER 17, 2011

Within three months, we easily obtained $3 million of investment at a pre-money valuation of $30 million. Three months later, another investor company in the business offered to invest $3 million at a valuation of $60 million. In addition, I loaned the new company $150 thousand for working capital.

Liquidity Event 59

Liquidity Event Pre-Money Valuation Sales Valuation 59

Seeing Both Sides

JULY 15, 2009

Entrepreneurs often mistakenly focus solely on the pre-money valuation while VCs look at multiple knobs in the negotiation to drive to a set of terms that, in total, they find acceptable. The first, and most focused on, is something called the pre-money valuation. What is the promote? Life isn’t fair.”).

Pre-Money Valuation 49

Pre-Money Valuation Option Pool Stock Options Post-Money Valuation 49